Skopje, 7 February 2025 (MIA) - In the context of recent developments in traffic safety in our country, the Ministry of Justice is focused on potential legal changes aimed at enhancing road safety, Justice Minister Igor Filkov said Friday at a public debate in Parliament.

“Given the significant rise in accidents, we believe it is crucial to urgently new strategies and solutions, including raising penalties for drivers who threaten road safety and improving legal provisions for offenders, backed by detailed analysis of penalty enforcement practices,” Filkov told MPs and institutional representatives.

He said that when making amendments to the legal regulations, particularly concerning sanctions, it is essential to start by assessing whether the penalties for traffic rule violations are adequate and sufficiently rigorous to deter offenders. Furthermore, he underscored the importance of consulting citizens, the civil sector, experts, university scholars, lawyers, and former judges via surveys and public debates to gather feedback and ensure the new laws meet society's needs.

“It is necessary to introduce legal changes that will broaden the list of criminal offenses against road safety. Amendments are also required for serious offences that endanger life and property, as well as failure to assist an individual injured in a traffic accident,” he noted.

According to him, these changes will contribute to creating a more effective legal framework that will improve road safety and motivate drivers to respect traffic rules.

“Sanctions should be issued in accordance with legal provisions, ensuring correct classification of the offense, and thus, appropriate penalties. There should be a stricter penal policy for repeat offenders, particularly drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents. Judicial practice should be based on the respect for legal principles, with a particular emphasis on impartiality in decision-making and the independence of judges in their actions. Therefore, judges must fully apply the provisions of the law, consider each individual case, and ensure that penalties align with the severity of the offense,” Filkov said.

Filkov also said that the Ministry of Justice, the Interior Ministry, judges from the Misdemeanours Department at the Criminal Court in Skopje and university professors are actively working on the implementation of new amendments to the Law on Misdemeanours and the Law on Road Traffic Safety. In this context, a working group has been formed to enhance the legal framework, with a particular emphasis on reducing traffic accidents.

“The new amendments to the Law on Misdemeanours will introduce a special procedure for traffic violations detected by electronic systems like the "Safe City," enabling faster identification of offenses and reducing accidents,” Filkov noted.

For offenders who appear in court for the third time, and in cases of serious violations such as driving under the influence of alcohol or excessive speeding, the court, he said, will impose a sanction that includes the revocation of their driver's license.

The public debate was addressed by Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski, the President of the Republic Council for Road Transport Safety, Goran Angelovski, professors from the Faculty of Law, and other participants.

The Parliamentary Committee on Political System and Inter-Community Relations organized a public debate about enhancing traffic safety, following the traffic accident that claimed the life of Frosina Kulakova.

Photo: MIA archive